Buena Vista
Buena Vista returns a very young squad, which says all they need is some experience - which they got last year.
They finished sixth at the 2018 Cross Country State Championships with two freshmen and one sophomore. This means they return all of their scorers from that day.
Incoming sophomore Mallory Salazar led the squad last year at State with an 11th place finish in 21:08. Classmate Molly McMurry finished just a few strides back in 13th. Both have run under 20:20, and they're joined by Alexis Santopietro, who has run 21:52.
On paper, they return the second-fastest squad in 2A.
Paonia
A year ago Paonia was sandwiched in an insanely tight team race between third and fifth place at the state meet. They finished fourth that day.
They return two from their three that day, and three of their top four. Tawny Roberts led the squad at State with a 14th place finish, though Katya Schwieterman owns the fastest returning time at 20:08.
Paonia's 1-2 look nearly identical to Buena Vista, as both squads have to under 20:20. Sofia Gonzalez rounds out their top three with a 22:34 season best from 2018.